Invenio Veritas
By penpunk
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.
This is the NEW version!
Chapter 14: The Announcement
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As the pain from the Cructius subsided, Harry edged himself out of bed and searched the surface of his bedside table. He found the bottle of healing potion his father had given him that night and took a sip of it. The liquid immediately began to take away the pain of the curse. Harry sat down on his bed and buried his face in his hands. As much as he hated being in so much pain, he wished he could have remained in the vision of the deatheaters. He had no idea of the state of his father's well being. It scared him. He had just found the one person who could finally provide him with a family life and he was not going to let that be ripped from him like so many other things had.
Harry stood up and steadied himself. He walked to the end of his four- poster bed and kneeled in front of his trunk and pulled out his invisibility cloak. Harry wasn't sure where he'd find his father. He decided to try Dumbledore's office first, since Severus always reported to Dumbledore after deatheater meetings. He made his way down the stairs, into the common room, and out of the portrait.
Harry walked as quickly as he could, trying not to let his feet hit the stone floor too loudly. Harry's mind was so distracted that he didn't bother to look around a corner and proceeded to run into something very tall and solid. The force from the impact knocked both figures to the ground. Harry looked up and breathed a sigh of relief as he saw that he had run right into the very person he was looking for. Severus, on the other hand, looked slightly confused and very angry. Harry pulled off his invisibility cloak and looked at his father's shocked (but slightly relieved) face.
"What are you doing?" asked Severus as he helped Harry to his feet. "Why are you out here at this time of night?"
"I wanted to find you. I wanted to make sure you were okay," said Harry as he folded the cloak.
"What? Wait. . . . Did you see the meeting tonight?"
Harry nodded.
"Well, did you take you potions?"
"No but-" Harry was cut off.
"Harry, I made those so you could sleep and keep from witnessing those meetings. Why didn't you take them?"
"I wasn't asleep when I saw the meeting," said Harry quickly before Severus could say anymore.
"What? You weren't asleep?"
Harry shook his head. Severus looked around the corridor and then back to Harry.
"I've already spoken to Dumbledore. Let's go to my chambers and finish this conversation."
Harry nodded and followed his father to the dungeons. They entered his rooms and Harry sat down on Severus's sofa. The fire was out and it was very cold in the room. Harry looked over the back of the couch and watched his father pace the room.
"Okay," said Severus as he stopped pacing to turn and face Harry. "Tell me again. You were awake in your dorm and you saw what happened at the meeting?"
Harry nodded.
"I sat up and my vision started to swim. The light faded in and out, I got really dizzy, and then I saw the meeting."
Severus crossed his arms and began to pace again.
"This is not good. This is really not good."
Harry watched Severus pace.
"Why is this not good?"
"This means that you are subject to these visions twenty-four hours a day. If Voldemort decides to attack during the day, you'll see it. You may be in the middle of class or you may be flying on a broomstick. That's why this is not good."
"So what am I going to do?"
"I'm experimenting with a few different potion ingredients. I think I may be on to something and if my research proves productive, I'll have a potion that will break this connection."
Harry continued to watch his father as he paced back and forth in the room. His facial expression was hard to discern. Harry had rarely seen the look of worry cross Snape's usual sneering face.
"What am I going to do about Sirius?" asked Harry, a look of realized worry crossing his face.
"What do you mean?" asked Severus as he walked around the sofa and sat next to Harry.
"Voldemort said that he wants me to become good friends with 'Harry' and report back to him. I don't want to put Sirius in any more danger. He as good as signed his own death wish by agreeing to be me . . . I can't do this," Harry dropped his head into his hands. Severus didn't know what to do. Should he let Harry work this out on his own or comfort the boy? Severus chose the latter and awkwardly placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry felt the light touch on his shoulder and looked up. He met his father's gaze. Severus' eyes were torn between confusion and worry; his mouth was formed into a semi-comforting smile.
"You don't have to do anything you don't want to. If Voldemort asks me anything, I'll just make it up. No one will know otherwise."
Harry nodded. He turned his gaze from his father's eyes to his own hands as he leaned back on the oversized sofa.
"There is something of importance we do have to discuss though," said Severus as he removed his hand from Harry's shoulder, his face growing more serious. Harry looked up and noticed the sudden change. "I believe you will be confronted by certain er, students who will be very interested in getting to know you."
"Malfoy?" asked Harry, though it was more of a statement.
Severus nodded.
"He'll approach you, I have no doubt, whether it be by his own initiative or his father's," Severus sighed heavily as he ran a hand through his black hair.
"Is Malfoy as evil as he makes himself out to be?" asked Harry. "I've only known him to be a totally bastard to me and my friends and muggleborns and other Gryffindors and all the other houses for that matter."
Severus thought for a moment before answering.
"Draco is definitely pompous and very spoiled, but evil? I'm not sure. That's a strong word. He usually acts on his father's behalf, which is something in itself."
Harry's face grew puzzled.
"Lucius Malfoy used to be on the Board of Governors for Hogwarts, right?"
Harry nodded.
"So naturally, he knew what was going on and he had influence on what happened at the school. You remember when Malfoy was on the board, right?"
Harry nodded again.
"How did Draco treat you then?"
Harry thought for a moment.
"He taunted me, called Hermione a mudblood, and cracked jokes about Ron being poor. That's it really."
"And after? Malfoy got sacked the end of your second year, I believe. How did he treat you third year and last year?"
"Worse. Always trying to find ways to get me expelled or humiliate me in front of the school."
"And how did he go about doing that?"
"Spying on me . . . oh, I see now. Since his dad got sacked, Draco is kind of keeping watch over the school."
Severus nodded.
"So maybe Sirius isn't in as much danger," said Harry after a short pause.
"How do you figure?" asked Severus.
"Well, before 'Alex' came, Voldemort had Slytherins watching me, right? Now, he could use them for something else since he thinks he has a spy in Gryffindor. So really, I'm taking more attention away from Sirius."
"Yeah, maybe," said Severus. He looked over at Harry. He had never though of it that way.
"So should I try to be friendly to Malfoy?" asked Harry. That was not a statement he expected from his mouth.
"He'll no doubt try to be friendly with you. Every Slytherin will."
"Because I'm their Head of House's son?"
Severus nodded.
"I think you will have to be friendly with Draco and his lackeys. I still have to act loyal to Voldemort. Unfortunately, as my son, you will too. At least when you're around Malfoy. I'm not saying you have to be his best friend but you'll have to buddy around with him some."
"Won't the other Gryffindors get suspicious if I'm hanging around with Draco?"
"Probably. I guess you can use that to keep some distance from him, but Weasley, Granger, and Black are not around you at all times. Trust me, Draco will find the time to talk to you. I guess you should just act civilly towards him. You have more than enough sense to know what and what not to do around him. Trust your instincts."
Harry nodded. They both sat in silence for a few minutes. Severus looked over at Harry and saw him shivering. He realized that, even though he was used to the cold, Harry wasn't. He stood up and walked into his own bedroom. Harry looked up and watch his father cross the room and walk into his bedroom. Severus returned shortly with a thick blanket.
"Sorry it's so cold down here," said Severus as he wrapped the blanket around Harry's shoulders. "I forget about the cold. I've lived down here so long I must have gotten used it. By the way, did the healing potion work alright?"
"Yeah, it worked pretty fast. It just took me a while to get to it. Voldemort held you under the curse for a long time. Are you sure you're alright?"
"Trust me, I've had worse," said Severus as he scratched the back of his neck. "I'll probably be pretty sore in the morning and probably pretty nasty to my classes."
Harry smiled.
"Maybe I should warn Sirius not to try your patience in class."
Severus snorted.
"If you want him to still be breathing by the end of the class. Yes, I would highly suggest it."
Harry wrapped the blanket tightly around him. Severus looked down at his watch.
"It's pretty late and I don't think you'll have anymore trouble tonight but if you want, you can sleep here on the couch."
Harry looked up at Severus.
"Yeah, sure. Are you sure that's okay?"
"Of course," said Severus. He reached behind him and pulled out a pillow. He threw it playfully at Harry. "Just don't drool on my couch. It's leather, you know."
Harry took the pillow and smiled.
"Thanks."
Severus nodded and smiled. It was the first real, unforced smile Harry had ever seen spread across his face.
"I'm in the back room if you need anything," said Severus as he walked back behind the couch. "Goodnight Harry."
"Goodnight."
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Harry was brought out of his deep slumber by a gentle shake on the shoulder. His dark lashed eyes fluttered open and focused the blurry image in front of them. His father was standing above him, a slight smile playing on his face.
"I would suggest getting up Alex. You wouldn't want to be late for your first day of class. Especially my class."
Harry snorted as he tried to pull himself up. Severus could see him struggling to sit up. He'd been just as sore when he's pulled himself out of bed. He held out a hand to Harry.
"Thanks," said Harry as he accepted the offered hand and pulled himself up.
"I had a house elf bring you up some clothes and supplies for your morning classes. You probably don't feel like walking all the way up to Gryffindor Tower this morning."
Harry smiled and shook his head. He suddenly remembered something he was meaning to tell Severus.
"Thank you for the cauldron and books and everything. You really didn't have to, though. I could have paid for everything," Harry watched his father's reaction to his words. It seemed like he didn't know how to accept thanks.
"Don't worry about it Harry," said Severus. "It's not your fault you needed all that. Besides, the cauldron you were using looked like it was about to melt. I'd rather have some dangerous potion spill all over Black than you."
Harry smiled slightly but he wasn't sure if he felt comforted by the fact his father was looking out for his well being or scared by the fact he wouldn't mind if some horrible potion spilled all over Sirius.
"You may use my bathroom if you wish. It's through my room and on the right," said Severus as he sat down in one of the armchairs. "I'll walk you to breakfast after you're done."
Harry nodded and grabbed the pile of clothes at the end of the sofa that were brought up by the house elf.
The hot shower took away some of the tension in Harry's sore muscles. After drying off and getting dressed, Harry stood in front of the mirror over the sink. The unfamiliarity of the reflection caused him to avoid looking into it. Instead, Harry loaded his toothbrush with paste and bent over the sink, avoiding his own gaze.
Severus looked down at his watch and saw that breakfast was to start shortly. He closed the book he was reading and walked through his room, stopping at the bathroom door. He leaned an ear to the door to listen. He could hear something but was unable to make out what it was. It sounded like someone in pain. Severus then recognized the noise as Harry's voice. He quickly knocked on the door.
"Harry!" yelled Severus, rattling the locked doorknob. "Harry, are you okay?" He dug frantically through his robes to find his wand. He was just about to cast Alohomora when the door swung open. To Severus' relief, Harry was fine.
"What's wrong?" asked Harry with a very confused look on his face. His father's eyes were wide and he looked worried but slightly relieved.
"I thought you were hurt. Maybe seeing another vision or something," said Severus, his cheeks reddening a little. "I heard you through the door. It sounded as though you were in pain."
At this, Harry's cheeks reddened.
"I was trying to comb my hair," said Harry, holding up the comb in his hand. "I'm not use to so much. I can't comb it without hurting myself."
Severus allowed his face to break into a slightly relieved smile.
"Here, let me help," said Severus as he held out his hand. Harry looked at him for a moment before handing him the comb. Harry was a bit shocked at his father's sudden helpfulness, especially with something as simple as his hair.
"Merlin Harry," muttered Severus as he turned Harry around so that the back of his head was facing him. "You broke pieces of the comb off in your hair. Do you always do this when you brush it?"
"Since the charms came off," said Harry as he picked a piece of plastic out of his hair. Severus put one hand on the top of Harry's head and ran the comb through his hair. He gently worked the comb through the many tangles Harry had given himself. Harry felt a little awkward standing there, letting someone do his hair, let alone that person is Severus Snape.
Severus ran the comb through all of Harry's hair to make sure all of the tangles were gone and then handed the comb back to his son.
"Um, thanks," said Harry as he set the comb on the sink. Severus simply nodded in return. "Do you have trouble with your hair?"
Severus smirked.
"Nah, all the grease makes it easy to run a comb through."
Harry looked at his father with a sort of odd wonder. Severus saw this look and continued to smirk.
"Grease head has always been a favorite nickname for me. You work with potions all day and see what your hair looks like afterwards."
Harry smiled and shook his head.
"Are you ready?" asked Severus, looking down at his watch. "Breakfast is about to start."
Harry nodded and walked from the bathroom to the living room, followed by his father. He picked up his cauldron and book and followed his father out the door.
Harry entered the Great Hall just as breakfast began. His father entered behind him. Harry found Ron, Hermione, and Sirius towards the end of the house table and took a seat next to Sirius.
"I will see you in class Alex," said Severus. "Do try to be on time."
Harry nodded before turning to Ron and Hermione.
"Where did you go?" asked Ron as he finished piling food onto his plate. "Me and Harry were a little worried when we woke up and found an empty bed between us." Ron leaned in to whisper to Harry. "Harry was a little more worried than I was."
"Sorry," said Harry as he turned from Ron and looked at Sirius. "I was talking to my father and I ended up sleeping on his couch." Harry couldn't help but notice Sirius' facial expression as he said "my father." They would definitely need to talk later on.
"What did you two talk about?" asked Hermione curiously.
Harry started to speak but then stopped. He shook his head.
"I'll tell you later," said Harry. He then dropped to a whisper. "When there are not so many people around."
The three teens nodded and returned to their breakfast.
"Oh, by the way Potter," said Harry, looking up from his breakfast, "a certain professor warned you against trying his patience in class."
Sirius smiled.
"I would never do something to deliberately make Snape angry," said Sirius wryly. "To make him violently furious . . . well . . . that's a different story."
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Harry looked over at Sirius who was sitting next to him in the Potions classroom. He almost had to look away to keep from laughing. Of course Harry knew that he was in a serious situation with deadly consequences, but could he help that his own Godfather was being a total ass at that very moment? His Godfather was turning this serious situation into a Sirius situation and Harry couldn't decide between laughing at his Godfather's antics or giving him a swift kick in the shins.
"What's so funny Alex?" asked Sirius innocently. He was sitting at the edge of his chair, straight backed and hands folded on the desktop. Sirius kept tipping his head to the side, fluttering his eyelashes at the ceiling, totally over exaggerating the whole "little angel" routine. Harry leaned over and whispered into his ear.
"I may think its funny but I can guarantee Professor Snape won't. You'll lose points just because he hates you and I'll probably get yelled at for not keeping you in line. Please try to act like a normal person."
Harry drew back and watched Sirius' facial expression change. It went from "smart ass" to "serious Sirius."
"I'm just joking around. I'm not going to do anything that will raise suspicion. Especially when were around that lot," Sirius took his eyes off Harry and glanced over Harry's shoulder. Harry turned and saw that Sirius was looking at the Slytherins on the other side of the room. Most of them were talking amongst themselves. Draco Malfoy, however, looked as though he were trying to catch Harry's eye. Harry ignored him however, and turned back around and faced Sirius.
"Don't look now Alex," said Sirius in a hushed voice, "but rat face is headed this way."
Harry turned and saw Draco making his way across the classroom. Just as he had gotten over to the Gryffindor side of the room, Malfoy was stopped by a dark, sweeping figure that had just entered the classroom.
"Mr. Malfoy, please return to your seat," said Snape without a second glance to the blonde boy. He continued walking to the front of the room and turned to face his students. "Today, you will be preparing ingredients for a potion you will start brewing on Wednesday. The potion is called botanis thriveus and its effects are similar to those of skele-gro expect that botanis thriveus is used on plants. Professor Sprout has requested a large amount and I expect that this potion will be easy enough for most of you to complete. The potion needs ample time to brew so you will only prepare the ingredients for it this class period. They are on the board. Get to work."
With that, Severus turned and walked to his desk in the corner of the room. As he sat down, he looked over at Harry. Harry looked back. Severus raised an eyebrow at him and looked to the Slytherin side of the room. Harry followed his father's gaze, which rested on Draco Malfoy. His father looked back at him. Harry could only shrug.
Malfoy left Crabbe and Goyle and walked over to the Gryffindor side of the classroom. He stopped in front of Harry's desk.
"Hello Alex," said Malfoy in his pompous, drawling voice. "I'm Draco Malfoy."
Draco held out a hand and Harry shook it.
"I was wondering if you'd like to be my partner for this assignment," said Malfoy while he gave Sirius a contemptuous glare.
"Sorry," said Harry, "but I'm already Harry's partner. Maybe some other time." Fat chance.
"Yeah, maybe," said Draco as he smiled knowingly at Harry. "Glad to have met you. See you around sometime."
Draco cast one more glare at Sirius before turning and walking back to his desk.
"What are you going to do about him?" asked Sirius in whisper.
"I'll tell you later," whispered Harry. "I've already talked about him with Professor Snape."
Sirius nodded and both boys started with their work. The rest of the class went by with no other surprises. Sirius lost Gryffindor points for being alive, although that wasn't the reason Snape gave him.
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It was Wednesday night in the Gryffindor common room. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all doing an essay for Professor McGonagall's class. Everyone at Hogwarts seemed to have gotten over the initial shock of Snape having a son and most were pretty accepting of "Alex." All the Gryffindors seemed to like him and the Slytherins all sucked up to him. Harry tried to avoid Draco as much as possible and had avoided any sort of meeting with him so far. Harry had explained to Sirius, Ron, and Hermione his role as Voldemort's spy on Sirius and how he had to be civil towards Malfoy. They all seemed to be sympathetic towards him.
"Hey Ron," said Harry looking up from his book. "Where is Harry?"
"He's got a meeting with the quidditch team," said Ron. "They're picking captains tonight."
"Oh," said Harry. He shut his book and leaned over the table. "Is Sirius good at quidditch?"
"I don't know," whispered Ron. "He's you're Godfather. You should know."
"I know but I never asked him before. I know that my da- I mean James was good at quidditch but I don't know about Sirius."
"Well," said Hermione, "you can ask Harry about it now."
Harry gave Hermione a puzzled look and then turned around. He watched the entire Gryffindor quidditch team walk into the common room. Fred and George both climbed on one of the tables in the common room.
"Hear Ye Hear Ye!" cried Fred.
"Attention all Gryffindors!" shouted George.
"We are officially the new co-captains of the quidditch team!" they shouted in unison.
All the students stopped what they were doing and turned to watch the twins. They all applauded when Fred and George made the announcement. The twins both began bowing and looking at each other with feigned shock and excitement.
"As captains, it is our job, along with input from the rest of the team, to choose the new members of the team. This year there is an opening for a chaser and, due to unfortunate circumstances, a seeker."
Harry froze. They needed a seeker? How is this possible? He turned to Hermione and Ron. They were both smiling at him. Harry turned back to the twins.
"All of you who are interested in playing quidditch and beating the knickers off the other house teams, meet us on the pitch on Friday at 4:00 P.M. That's all we have to say. Please return to what you were doing," said George as he and Fred jumped off the table.
Sirius walked over to the three Gryffindors sitting in the back.
"So Alex," said Sirius with a sly look on his face, "are you going to try- out now?"
"I'm thinking about it," said Harry. "May I ask what those unfortunate circumstances were that caused Gryffindor to lose their star seeker?"
Sirius laughed.
"That's what I talked to Dumbledore about a few nights ago. I told him to get me taken off the team. He told the team that I could no longer play because of Voldemort and quidditch being an easy sport to get killed in and making it look like an accident. The team objected so much that Dumbledore compromised and said I could still play as long as I played keeper."
"Oh," said Harry. "So are you any good at quidditch?"
Sirius smiled.
"I'm okay. I was on the house team."
"Really?" said Ron. "What did you play?"
"I was a keeper," said Sirius. "I'm guessing Dumbledore remembered that when he mentioned the position I had to play."
"How did Fred and George end up being co-captains?" asked Hermione.
"There was a tie in the voting. We thought that, since they probably wouldn't function right if they were separated, that they could be captains together."
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," said Ron. "I hope me being their brother gives me an advantage with try-outs."
"Ron!" said Hermione. "Don't expect to be put on the team just because you're related to the captains."
"I know," said Ron. "I've been practicing really hard. Hermione, you even said I'd probably make the team."
"I know I did and you probably will," said Hermione. "I don't even know a thing about quidditch and I know you're good."
Sirius clapped Ron on the shoulder and whispered into his ear, "I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not."
This caused Ron, Harry, and Sirius to laugh, leaving Hermione to wonder about what was so funny.
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After dinner, Harry was a little late in leaving. Severus had stopped to talk to him for a bit, causing Harry to walk back up the common room alone. On his way, he was met by the last person on earth he had wanted to see. Draco Malfoy.
"Hey, there you are Alex," said Draco. Crabbe and Goyle were looming behind him. "I was wondering if we could talk for a minute."
"Okay," said Harry coolly. "What do you want?"
"Nothing important. Just wanted to see how life with Potter's going."
Harry shrugged.
"Fine, I guess."
"Man, I really pity you. I couldn't imagine being put in Gryffindor. Is it as bad as I think it is?"
"I don't know. How bad do you think it is?"
Draco opened his mouth to answer but then stopped.
"I don't know. What's Gryffindor like?"
"Noisy. You'll never get bored. Considering the circumstances, it's not as bad as you think."
"Yeah, well I'll take your word for it."
"Well, I really need to get back to my common room," said Harry as he turned to leave.
"Wait," said Draco. "Could we hang out sometime?"
"I'd love to Draco," said Harry. Yeah, he'd love to punch him in that smug face of his, "but you know that I have to gain the trust of Potter and his friends and they would get really suspicious if I were to be friends with you. Sorry."
"Hey, it's fine. Maybe we can work something out," said Draco. "See you around."
With that, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle turned and started walking back to the dungeons.
Harry watched them until they were gone. He shook his head and started back up to Gryffindor Tower.
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Okay, there are a few reasons I redid this chapter. For one, it was really short. When I read through it, I realized that I kind of rushed things and I decided to put in Harry and Sirius' first potions lesson together. I hope you like this version more, and if not, sorry. I kind of got stuck writing chapter 15 and changing this one really helped me get writing. Leave a review and tell me what you think.
By penpunk
Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.
This is the NEW version!
Chapter 14: The Announcement
***************************************************************************
As the pain from the Cructius subsided, Harry edged himself out of bed and searched the surface of his bedside table. He found the bottle of healing potion his father had given him that night and took a sip of it. The liquid immediately began to take away the pain of the curse. Harry sat down on his bed and buried his face in his hands. As much as he hated being in so much pain, he wished he could have remained in the vision of the deatheaters. He had no idea of the state of his father's well being. It scared him. He had just found the one person who could finally provide him with a family life and he was not going to let that be ripped from him like so many other things had.
Harry stood up and steadied himself. He walked to the end of his four- poster bed and kneeled in front of his trunk and pulled out his invisibility cloak. Harry wasn't sure where he'd find his father. He decided to try Dumbledore's office first, since Severus always reported to Dumbledore after deatheater meetings. He made his way down the stairs, into the common room, and out of the portrait.
Harry walked as quickly as he could, trying not to let his feet hit the stone floor too loudly. Harry's mind was so distracted that he didn't bother to look around a corner and proceeded to run into something very tall and solid. The force from the impact knocked both figures to the ground. Harry looked up and breathed a sigh of relief as he saw that he had run right into the very person he was looking for. Severus, on the other hand, looked slightly confused and very angry. Harry pulled off his invisibility cloak and looked at his father's shocked (but slightly relieved) face.
"What are you doing?" asked Severus as he helped Harry to his feet. "Why are you out here at this time of night?"
"I wanted to find you. I wanted to make sure you were okay," said Harry as he folded the cloak.
"What? Wait. . . . Did you see the meeting tonight?"
Harry nodded.
"Well, did you take you potions?"
"No but-" Harry was cut off.
"Harry, I made those so you could sleep and keep from witnessing those meetings. Why didn't you take them?"
"I wasn't asleep when I saw the meeting," said Harry quickly before Severus could say anymore.
"What? You weren't asleep?"
Harry shook his head. Severus looked around the corridor and then back to Harry.
"I've already spoken to Dumbledore. Let's go to my chambers and finish this conversation."
Harry nodded and followed his father to the dungeons. They entered his rooms and Harry sat down on Severus's sofa. The fire was out and it was very cold in the room. Harry looked over the back of the couch and watched his father pace the room.
"Okay," said Severus as he stopped pacing to turn and face Harry. "Tell me again. You were awake in your dorm and you saw what happened at the meeting?"
Harry nodded.
"I sat up and my vision started to swim. The light faded in and out, I got really dizzy, and then I saw the meeting."
Severus crossed his arms and began to pace again.
"This is not good. This is really not good."
Harry watched Severus pace.
"Why is this not good?"
"This means that you are subject to these visions twenty-four hours a day. If Voldemort decides to attack during the day, you'll see it. You may be in the middle of class or you may be flying on a broomstick. That's why this is not good."
"So what am I going to do?"
"I'm experimenting with a few different potion ingredients. I think I may be on to something and if my research proves productive, I'll have a potion that will break this connection."
Harry continued to watch his father as he paced back and forth in the room. His facial expression was hard to discern. Harry had rarely seen the look of worry cross Snape's usual sneering face.
"What am I going to do about Sirius?" asked Harry, a look of realized worry crossing his face.
"What do you mean?" asked Severus as he walked around the sofa and sat next to Harry.
"Voldemort said that he wants me to become good friends with 'Harry' and report back to him. I don't want to put Sirius in any more danger. He as good as signed his own death wish by agreeing to be me . . . I can't do this," Harry dropped his head into his hands. Severus didn't know what to do. Should he let Harry work this out on his own or comfort the boy? Severus chose the latter and awkwardly placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry felt the light touch on his shoulder and looked up. He met his father's gaze. Severus' eyes were torn between confusion and worry; his mouth was formed into a semi-comforting smile.
"You don't have to do anything you don't want to. If Voldemort asks me anything, I'll just make it up. No one will know otherwise."
Harry nodded. He turned his gaze from his father's eyes to his own hands as he leaned back on the oversized sofa.
"There is something of importance we do have to discuss though," said Severus as he removed his hand from Harry's shoulder, his face growing more serious. Harry looked up and noticed the sudden change. "I believe you will be confronted by certain er, students who will be very interested in getting to know you."
"Malfoy?" asked Harry, though it was more of a statement.
Severus nodded.
"He'll approach you, I have no doubt, whether it be by his own initiative or his father's," Severus sighed heavily as he ran a hand through his black hair.
"Is Malfoy as evil as he makes himself out to be?" asked Harry. "I've only known him to be a totally bastard to me and my friends and muggleborns and other Gryffindors and all the other houses for that matter."
Severus thought for a moment before answering.
"Draco is definitely pompous and very spoiled, but evil? I'm not sure. That's a strong word. He usually acts on his father's behalf, which is something in itself."
Harry's face grew puzzled.
"Lucius Malfoy used to be on the Board of Governors for Hogwarts, right?"
Harry nodded.
"So naturally, he knew what was going on and he had influence on what happened at the school. You remember when Malfoy was on the board, right?"
Harry nodded again.
"How did Draco treat you then?"
Harry thought for a moment.
"He taunted me, called Hermione a mudblood, and cracked jokes about Ron being poor. That's it really."
"And after? Malfoy got sacked the end of your second year, I believe. How did he treat you third year and last year?"
"Worse. Always trying to find ways to get me expelled or humiliate me in front of the school."
"And how did he go about doing that?"
"Spying on me . . . oh, I see now. Since his dad got sacked, Draco is kind of keeping watch over the school."
Severus nodded.
"So maybe Sirius isn't in as much danger," said Harry after a short pause.
"How do you figure?" asked Severus.
"Well, before 'Alex' came, Voldemort had Slytherins watching me, right? Now, he could use them for something else since he thinks he has a spy in Gryffindor. So really, I'm taking more attention away from Sirius."
"Yeah, maybe," said Severus. He looked over at Harry. He had never though of it that way.
"So should I try to be friendly to Malfoy?" asked Harry. That was not a statement he expected from his mouth.
"He'll no doubt try to be friendly with you. Every Slytherin will."
"Because I'm their Head of House's son?"
Severus nodded.
"I think you will have to be friendly with Draco and his lackeys. I still have to act loyal to Voldemort. Unfortunately, as my son, you will too. At least when you're around Malfoy. I'm not saying you have to be his best friend but you'll have to buddy around with him some."
"Won't the other Gryffindors get suspicious if I'm hanging around with Draco?"
"Probably. I guess you can use that to keep some distance from him, but Weasley, Granger, and Black are not around you at all times. Trust me, Draco will find the time to talk to you. I guess you should just act civilly towards him. You have more than enough sense to know what and what not to do around him. Trust your instincts."
Harry nodded. They both sat in silence for a few minutes. Severus looked over at Harry and saw him shivering. He realized that, even though he was used to the cold, Harry wasn't. He stood up and walked into his own bedroom. Harry looked up and watch his father cross the room and walk into his bedroom. Severus returned shortly with a thick blanket.
"Sorry it's so cold down here," said Severus as he wrapped the blanket around Harry's shoulders. "I forget about the cold. I've lived down here so long I must have gotten used it. By the way, did the healing potion work alright?"
"Yeah, it worked pretty fast. It just took me a while to get to it. Voldemort held you under the curse for a long time. Are you sure you're alright?"
"Trust me, I've had worse," said Severus as he scratched the back of his neck. "I'll probably be pretty sore in the morning and probably pretty nasty to my classes."
Harry smiled.
"Maybe I should warn Sirius not to try your patience in class."
Severus snorted.
"If you want him to still be breathing by the end of the class. Yes, I would highly suggest it."
Harry wrapped the blanket tightly around him. Severus looked down at his watch.
"It's pretty late and I don't think you'll have anymore trouble tonight but if you want, you can sleep here on the couch."
Harry looked up at Severus.
"Yeah, sure. Are you sure that's okay?"
"Of course," said Severus. He reached behind him and pulled out a pillow. He threw it playfully at Harry. "Just don't drool on my couch. It's leather, you know."
Harry took the pillow and smiled.
"Thanks."
Severus nodded and smiled. It was the first real, unforced smile Harry had ever seen spread across his face.
"I'm in the back room if you need anything," said Severus as he walked back behind the couch. "Goodnight Harry."
"Goodnight."
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Harry was brought out of his deep slumber by a gentle shake on the shoulder. His dark lashed eyes fluttered open and focused the blurry image in front of them. His father was standing above him, a slight smile playing on his face.
"I would suggest getting up Alex. You wouldn't want to be late for your first day of class. Especially my class."
Harry snorted as he tried to pull himself up. Severus could see him struggling to sit up. He'd been just as sore when he's pulled himself out of bed. He held out a hand to Harry.
"Thanks," said Harry as he accepted the offered hand and pulled himself up.
"I had a house elf bring you up some clothes and supplies for your morning classes. You probably don't feel like walking all the way up to Gryffindor Tower this morning."
Harry smiled and shook his head. He suddenly remembered something he was meaning to tell Severus.
"Thank you for the cauldron and books and everything. You really didn't have to, though. I could have paid for everything," Harry watched his father's reaction to his words. It seemed like he didn't know how to accept thanks.
"Don't worry about it Harry," said Severus. "It's not your fault you needed all that. Besides, the cauldron you were using looked like it was about to melt. I'd rather have some dangerous potion spill all over Black than you."
Harry smiled slightly but he wasn't sure if he felt comforted by the fact his father was looking out for his well being or scared by the fact he wouldn't mind if some horrible potion spilled all over Sirius.
"You may use my bathroom if you wish. It's through my room and on the right," said Severus as he sat down in one of the armchairs. "I'll walk you to breakfast after you're done."
Harry nodded and grabbed the pile of clothes at the end of the sofa that were brought up by the house elf.
The hot shower took away some of the tension in Harry's sore muscles. After drying off and getting dressed, Harry stood in front of the mirror over the sink. The unfamiliarity of the reflection caused him to avoid looking into it. Instead, Harry loaded his toothbrush with paste and bent over the sink, avoiding his own gaze.
Severus looked down at his watch and saw that breakfast was to start shortly. He closed the book he was reading and walked through his room, stopping at the bathroom door. He leaned an ear to the door to listen. He could hear something but was unable to make out what it was. It sounded like someone in pain. Severus then recognized the noise as Harry's voice. He quickly knocked on the door.
"Harry!" yelled Severus, rattling the locked doorknob. "Harry, are you okay?" He dug frantically through his robes to find his wand. He was just about to cast Alohomora when the door swung open. To Severus' relief, Harry was fine.
"What's wrong?" asked Harry with a very confused look on his face. His father's eyes were wide and he looked worried but slightly relieved.
"I thought you were hurt. Maybe seeing another vision or something," said Severus, his cheeks reddening a little. "I heard you through the door. It sounded as though you were in pain."
At this, Harry's cheeks reddened.
"I was trying to comb my hair," said Harry, holding up the comb in his hand. "I'm not use to so much. I can't comb it without hurting myself."
Severus allowed his face to break into a slightly relieved smile.
"Here, let me help," said Severus as he held out his hand. Harry looked at him for a moment before handing him the comb. Harry was a bit shocked at his father's sudden helpfulness, especially with something as simple as his hair.
"Merlin Harry," muttered Severus as he turned Harry around so that the back of his head was facing him. "You broke pieces of the comb off in your hair. Do you always do this when you brush it?"
"Since the charms came off," said Harry as he picked a piece of plastic out of his hair. Severus put one hand on the top of Harry's head and ran the comb through his hair. He gently worked the comb through the many tangles Harry had given himself. Harry felt a little awkward standing there, letting someone do his hair, let alone that person is Severus Snape.
Severus ran the comb through all of Harry's hair to make sure all of the tangles were gone and then handed the comb back to his son.
"Um, thanks," said Harry as he set the comb on the sink. Severus simply nodded in return. "Do you have trouble with your hair?"
Severus smirked.
"Nah, all the grease makes it easy to run a comb through."
Harry looked at his father with a sort of odd wonder. Severus saw this look and continued to smirk.
"Grease head has always been a favorite nickname for me. You work with potions all day and see what your hair looks like afterwards."
Harry smiled and shook his head.
"Are you ready?" asked Severus, looking down at his watch. "Breakfast is about to start."
Harry nodded and walked from the bathroom to the living room, followed by his father. He picked up his cauldron and book and followed his father out the door.
Harry entered the Great Hall just as breakfast began. His father entered behind him. Harry found Ron, Hermione, and Sirius towards the end of the house table and took a seat next to Sirius.
"I will see you in class Alex," said Severus. "Do try to be on time."
Harry nodded before turning to Ron and Hermione.
"Where did you go?" asked Ron as he finished piling food onto his plate. "Me and Harry were a little worried when we woke up and found an empty bed between us." Ron leaned in to whisper to Harry. "Harry was a little more worried than I was."
"Sorry," said Harry as he turned from Ron and looked at Sirius. "I was talking to my father and I ended up sleeping on his couch." Harry couldn't help but notice Sirius' facial expression as he said "my father." They would definitely need to talk later on.
"What did you two talk about?" asked Hermione curiously.
Harry started to speak but then stopped. He shook his head.
"I'll tell you later," said Harry. He then dropped to a whisper. "When there are not so many people around."
The three teens nodded and returned to their breakfast.
"Oh, by the way Potter," said Harry, looking up from his breakfast, "a certain professor warned you against trying his patience in class."
Sirius smiled.
"I would never do something to deliberately make Snape angry," said Sirius wryly. "To make him violently furious . . . well . . . that's a different story."
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Harry looked over at Sirius who was sitting next to him in the Potions classroom. He almost had to look away to keep from laughing. Of course Harry knew that he was in a serious situation with deadly consequences, but could he help that his own Godfather was being a total ass at that very moment? His Godfather was turning this serious situation into a Sirius situation and Harry couldn't decide between laughing at his Godfather's antics or giving him a swift kick in the shins.
"What's so funny Alex?" asked Sirius innocently. He was sitting at the edge of his chair, straight backed and hands folded on the desktop. Sirius kept tipping his head to the side, fluttering his eyelashes at the ceiling, totally over exaggerating the whole "little angel" routine. Harry leaned over and whispered into his ear.
"I may think its funny but I can guarantee Professor Snape won't. You'll lose points just because he hates you and I'll probably get yelled at for not keeping you in line. Please try to act like a normal person."
Harry drew back and watched Sirius' facial expression change. It went from "smart ass" to "serious Sirius."
"I'm just joking around. I'm not going to do anything that will raise suspicion. Especially when were around that lot," Sirius took his eyes off Harry and glanced over Harry's shoulder. Harry turned and saw that Sirius was looking at the Slytherins on the other side of the room. Most of them were talking amongst themselves. Draco Malfoy, however, looked as though he were trying to catch Harry's eye. Harry ignored him however, and turned back around and faced Sirius.
"Don't look now Alex," said Sirius in a hushed voice, "but rat face is headed this way."
Harry turned and saw Draco making his way across the classroom. Just as he had gotten over to the Gryffindor side of the room, Malfoy was stopped by a dark, sweeping figure that had just entered the classroom.
"Mr. Malfoy, please return to your seat," said Snape without a second glance to the blonde boy. He continued walking to the front of the room and turned to face his students. "Today, you will be preparing ingredients for a potion you will start brewing on Wednesday. The potion is called botanis thriveus and its effects are similar to those of skele-gro expect that botanis thriveus is used on plants. Professor Sprout has requested a large amount and I expect that this potion will be easy enough for most of you to complete. The potion needs ample time to brew so you will only prepare the ingredients for it this class period. They are on the board. Get to work."
With that, Severus turned and walked to his desk in the corner of the room. As he sat down, he looked over at Harry. Harry looked back. Severus raised an eyebrow at him and looked to the Slytherin side of the room. Harry followed his father's gaze, which rested on Draco Malfoy. His father looked back at him. Harry could only shrug.
Malfoy left Crabbe and Goyle and walked over to the Gryffindor side of the classroom. He stopped in front of Harry's desk.
"Hello Alex," said Malfoy in his pompous, drawling voice. "I'm Draco Malfoy."
Draco held out a hand and Harry shook it.
"I was wondering if you'd like to be my partner for this assignment," said Malfoy while he gave Sirius a contemptuous glare.
"Sorry," said Harry, "but I'm already Harry's partner. Maybe some other time." Fat chance.
"Yeah, maybe," said Draco as he smiled knowingly at Harry. "Glad to have met you. See you around sometime."
Draco cast one more glare at Sirius before turning and walking back to his desk.
"What are you going to do about him?" asked Sirius in whisper.
"I'll tell you later," whispered Harry. "I've already talked about him with Professor Snape."
Sirius nodded and both boys started with their work. The rest of the class went by with no other surprises. Sirius lost Gryffindor points for being alive, although that wasn't the reason Snape gave him.
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It was Wednesday night in the Gryffindor common room. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all doing an essay for Professor McGonagall's class. Everyone at Hogwarts seemed to have gotten over the initial shock of Snape having a son and most were pretty accepting of "Alex." All the Gryffindors seemed to like him and the Slytherins all sucked up to him. Harry tried to avoid Draco as much as possible and had avoided any sort of meeting with him so far. Harry had explained to Sirius, Ron, and Hermione his role as Voldemort's spy on Sirius and how he had to be civil towards Malfoy. They all seemed to be sympathetic towards him.
"Hey Ron," said Harry looking up from his book. "Where is Harry?"
"He's got a meeting with the quidditch team," said Ron. "They're picking captains tonight."
"Oh," said Harry. He shut his book and leaned over the table. "Is Sirius good at quidditch?"
"I don't know," whispered Ron. "He's you're Godfather. You should know."
"I know but I never asked him before. I know that my da- I mean James was good at quidditch but I don't know about Sirius."
"Well," said Hermione, "you can ask Harry about it now."
Harry gave Hermione a puzzled look and then turned around. He watched the entire Gryffindor quidditch team walk into the common room. Fred and George both climbed on one of the tables in the common room.
"Hear Ye Hear Ye!" cried Fred.
"Attention all Gryffindors!" shouted George.
"We are officially the new co-captains of the quidditch team!" they shouted in unison.
All the students stopped what they were doing and turned to watch the twins. They all applauded when Fred and George made the announcement. The twins both began bowing and looking at each other with feigned shock and excitement.
"As captains, it is our job, along with input from the rest of the team, to choose the new members of the team. This year there is an opening for a chaser and, due to unfortunate circumstances, a seeker."
Harry froze. They needed a seeker? How is this possible? He turned to Hermione and Ron. They were both smiling at him. Harry turned back to the twins.
"All of you who are interested in playing quidditch and beating the knickers off the other house teams, meet us on the pitch on Friday at 4:00 P.M. That's all we have to say. Please return to what you were doing," said George as he and Fred jumped off the table.
Sirius walked over to the three Gryffindors sitting in the back.
"So Alex," said Sirius with a sly look on his face, "are you going to try- out now?"
"I'm thinking about it," said Harry. "May I ask what those unfortunate circumstances were that caused Gryffindor to lose their star seeker?"
Sirius laughed.
"That's what I talked to Dumbledore about a few nights ago. I told him to get me taken off the team. He told the team that I could no longer play because of Voldemort and quidditch being an easy sport to get killed in and making it look like an accident. The team objected so much that Dumbledore compromised and said I could still play as long as I played keeper."
"Oh," said Harry. "So are you any good at quidditch?"
Sirius smiled.
"I'm okay. I was on the house team."
"Really?" said Ron. "What did you play?"
"I was a keeper," said Sirius. "I'm guessing Dumbledore remembered that when he mentioned the position I had to play."
"How did Fred and George end up being co-captains?" asked Hermione.
"There was a tie in the voting. We thought that, since they probably wouldn't function right if they were separated, that they could be captains together."
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," said Ron. "I hope me being their brother gives me an advantage with try-outs."
"Ron!" said Hermione. "Don't expect to be put on the team just because you're related to the captains."
"I know," said Ron. "I've been practicing really hard. Hermione, you even said I'd probably make the team."
"I know I did and you probably will," said Hermione. "I don't even know a thing about quidditch and I know you're good."
Sirius clapped Ron on the shoulder and whispered into his ear, "I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not."
This caused Ron, Harry, and Sirius to laugh, leaving Hermione to wonder about what was so funny.
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After dinner, Harry was a little late in leaving. Severus had stopped to talk to him for a bit, causing Harry to walk back up the common room alone. On his way, he was met by the last person on earth he had wanted to see. Draco Malfoy.
"Hey, there you are Alex," said Draco. Crabbe and Goyle were looming behind him. "I was wondering if we could talk for a minute."
"Okay," said Harry coolly. "What do you want?"
"Nothing important. Just wanted to see how life with Potter's going."
Harry shrugged.
"Fine, I guess."
"Man, I really pity you. I couldn't imagine being put in Gryffindor. Is it as bad as I think it is?"
"I don't know. How bad do you think it is?"
Draco opened his mouth to answer but then stopped.
"I don't know. What's Gryffindor like?"
"Noisy. You'll never get bored. Considering the circumstances, it's not as bad as you think."
"Yeah, well I'll take your word for it."
"Well, I really need to get back to my common room," said Harry as he turned to leave.
"Wait," said Draco. "Could we hang out sometime?"
"I'd love to Draco," said Harry. Yeah, he'd love to punch him in that smug face of his, "but you know that I have to gain the trust of Potter and his friends and they would get really suspicious if I were to be friends with you. Sorry."
"Hey, it's fine. Maybe we can work something out," said Draco. "See you around."
With that, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle turned and started walking back to the dungeons.
Harry watched them until they were gone. He shook his head and started back up to Gryffindor Tower.
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Okay, there are a few reasons I redid this chapter. For one, it was really short. When I read through it, I realized that I kind of rushed things and I decided to put in Harry and Sirius' first potions lesson together. I hope you like this version more, and if not, sorry. I kind of got stuck writing chapter 15 and changing this one really helped me get writing. Leave a review and tell me what you think.